Transmission of Facsimiles via Internet Protocol over Public Networks

ABSTRACT

A computer system maps unique addresses to the conventional fax numbers of conventional fax devices (such as conventional fax machines and computing devices having conventional fax capabilities). A transmitting user who is connected to the Internet may send an IP fax to a receiving user who is also connected to the Internet by addressing the receiving user using the receiving user&#39;s unique address, even if the sending user and receiving user are not within the same local network. A server outside of the receiving user&#39;s local network mediates the transmission of the IP fax from the transmitting user to the receiving user. The server may select a preferred transmission method of the recipient (e.g., conventional fax, IP fax, email, or secure document delivery) and transmit the fax to the receiving user using that preferred transmission method. Transmitted faxes may be in color and/or contain high-definition content.

BACKGROUND

Computer fax systems have become widely adopted in business applicationsdue to the ease with which fax documents can be sent and received fromdifferent systems and applications without the need for the sending orreceiving user to perform file conversions, since a common file type (G3Encoded Fax Image Format) is widely accepted as the file format forcommunication in the T.30 fax protocol. One problem that exists with faxtransmissions, however, is that they have a relatively low resolution.In business workflow applications, which may use optical characterrecognition (OCR) or bar codes to assist in the automated processing ofdocuments, the low resolution of received fax transmissions may resultin a higher level of errors when trying to read and interpret thecontent of the received documents. Images sent as faxes, such as medicalimages, may be almost impossible to read on the receiving end, therebymaking them unusable for diagnostic purposes.

Although one potential solution to this problem is to transmit faxes athigher resolutions, attempting to transmit such faxes over the publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) results in unacceptably long deliverytimes.

What is needed, therefore, are improved methods for sending faxtransmissions at high resolution without incurring unacceptably longdelivery times.

SUMMARY

A computer system maps unique addresses to the conventional fax numbersof conventional fax devices (such as conventional fax machines andcomputing devices having conventional fax capabilities). A transmittinguser who is connected to the Internet may send an IP fax to a receivinguser who is also connected to the Internet by addressing the receivinguser using the receiving user's unique address, even if the sending userand receiving user are not within the same local network. A serveroutside of the receiving user's local network mediates the transmissionof the IP fax from the transmitting user to the receiving user. Theserver may select a preferred transmission method of the recipient(e.g., conventional fax, IP fax, email, or secure document delivery) andtransmit the fax to the receiving user using that preferred transmissionmethod. Transmitted faxes may be in color and/or contain high-definitioncontent.

For example, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to amethod comprising: (A) receiving a request to transmit an electronicpackage from a device of a transmitting user to a device of a receivinguser, wherein the request is addressed to an address accessible on apublic network; (B) identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) fax number ofthe receiving user based on data in the request; and (C) transmittingthe electronic package to the device of the receiving user via an IP faxprotocol at the identified IP fax number.

Other features and advantages of various aspects and embodiments of thepresent invention will become apparent from the following descriptionand from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a dataflow diagram of a system for creating a registry thatmaps Internet Protocol (IP) fax numbers to conventional fax numbersaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method performed by the system of FIG. 1according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of a data structure that is used to store auser account record according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method for identifying and storing atransmission method preferred by a user for transmitting an electronicpackage according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a dataflow diagram of a system for enabling user account datafrom multiple IP fax servers to be accessed via a single serveraccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method performed by the system of FIG. 5according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a dataflow diagram of a system for enabling users connected tothe Internet to transmit IP faxes and other electronic packages to otherusers according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method performed by the system of FIG. 7according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a dataflow diagram is shown of a system 100 forcreating a registry that maps Internet Protocol (IP) fax numbers toconventional fax numbers for a plurality of accounts according to oneembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart isshown of a method 200 performed by the system 100 of FIG. 1 according toone embodiment of the present invention.

The system 100 includes an IP fax server 102 a, which may perform avariety of functions within the system 100. For example, the IP faxserver 102 a may maintain a database 104 a containing data representinga plurality of account records 106 a-n, each of which represents adistinct user account. For example, and as will be described in moredetail below, each of the account records 106 a-n may represent anaccount associated with a unique IP fax number and may map that uniqueIP fax number to a conventional fax number.

Although the database 104 a is described as a “database” herein, moregenerally the database 104 a may be implemented as any data structure orcollection of data structures. Furthermore, although only threeparticular accounts 106 a-n are shown in FIG. 1 for ease ofillustration, the database 104 a may include any number of accountrecords (i.e., n may be any number). The IP fax server 102 a may readdata from and write data to the account database 104 a using anyappropriate mechanism.

The IP fax server 102 a may serve any number of users, each of whom mayaccess the IP fax server 102 a using any number of client devices. Forease of illustration, a single user 108, who accesses the IP fax server102 a using a single computing device 110, is shown in FIG. 1. Thecomputing device 110 may include an IP fax client 112, which may, forexample, be a software application that is installed on the computingdevice 110 and which is designed to communicate with the IP fax server102 a via an appropriate protocol.

The system 100 may also include any number of conventional fax devices.For ease of illustration, a single conventional fax device 114, used bythe user 108, is shown in FIG. 1. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the faxdevice 114 may be connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network(PSTN), and may be assigned a unique telephone number, referred toherein as a “conventional fax number,” within the PSTN. The term“conventional fax device” refers herein to any device which includesmeans for transmitting and/or receiving non-IP faxes (e.g., faxestransmitted using the T.30 fax protocol) over the PSTN. The term“conventional fax number” refers herein to an identifier that can beused to address a fax over the PSTN.

The conventional fax device 114 may be connected to the computing device110, such as by a wired connection (e.g., a USB cable) or a wirelessconnection (e.g., a WiFi or BlueTooth connection). The user's computingdevice 110 may receive the conventional fax number 116 of the fax device114 from the fax device 114. For example, the computing device 110 maytransmit a request for the fax number 116 to the fax device 114, inresponse to which the fax device 114 may transmit the fax number 116 tothe computing device 110. The computing device 110 may store the faxnumber 116 on any computer-readable medium. For example, the IP faxclient 112 of the computing device 110 may receive the fax number 116from the fax device 114 and store the fax number 116 on acomputer-readable medium, such as a hard drive within or otherwiseconnected to the computing device 110.

Although the computing device 110 and the fax device 114 are shown asdistinct devices in FIG. 1, this is merely an example and does notconstitute a limitation of the present invention. Alternatively, forexample, the conventional fax device 114 may be integrated into thecomputing device 100. For example, the fax device 114 may be implementedin a card that is installed within the computing device 110, and whichmay perform any of the functions disclosed herein as being performed bythe fax device 114.

The IP fax client 112 transmits a request 118 to register the fax device114 and/or the computing device 110 with the IP fax server 102 a (FIG.2, operation 202). Such a request may also be referred to herein as arequest to create an account at the IP fax server 102 a. The request 118may, for example, be transmitted over a network (not shown), such as thepublic Internet or a private intranet. More generally, any of thetransmissions of data disclosed herein may include transmitting dataover a network, such as the public Internet or a private intranet.

The registration request 118 may include any of a variety ofinformation, such as any one or more of the following: the conventionalfax number 116 of the conventional fax device 114, an IP address of thecomputing device 110, a time of transmission of the request 118, anddata identifying the user 108 (e.g., one or more of the user's realname, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and payment(e.g., credit card) information).

The IP fax server 102 a receives the registration request 118 (FIG. 2,operation 204). In response to receiving the request 118, the IP faxserver 102 a creates a new account for the user 108 by creating a newaccount record for the user 108 in the account database 104 a andstoring account data for that account in the newly-created accountrecord (FIG. 2, operation 206). Creating the account data record for theuser 108 may include creating and storing any of a variety ofinformation. For example, assuming that the account record 106 arepresents the account for user 108, FIG. 3 shows an example of datathat may be stored by the IP fax server 102 a in the account record 106a. In particular, the IP fax server 102 a may:

-   -   create an IP fax number for the user 108 that is unique among        all of the IP fax numbers stored in account records 106 a-n in        the account database 104 a, and store the newly-created IP fax        number in an IP fax number field 302 a of the account record 106        a (FIG. 2, operation 208 a);    -   store the conventional fax number 116 of the conventional fax        device 114 in a conventional fax number field 302 b of the        account record 106 a (FIG. 2, operation 208 b);    -   store the IP address of the computing device 110 in an IP        address field 302 c of the account record 106 a (FIG. 2,        operation 208 c); and    -   store user data representing the user 108 (such as one or more        of the user's real name, mailing address, telephone number,        email address, and payment (e.g., credit card) information) in a        user data field 302 d of the account record 106 a (FIG. 2,        operation 208 d).

The unique IP fax number that is generated in operation 208 a and storedin field 302 a may take any of a variety of forms. For example, theunique IP fax number may take the form of a unique IP address (i.e., anIP address that is unique within the entire IP address space, not merelywithin the address space of the IP fax server 102 a's local network).Such a unique IP address may, for example, be assigned within aparticular domain. For example, if the IP fax server 102 a assigns IPfax numbers within the domain ipfax.com, then examples of unique IP faxnumbers that may be generated by the IP fax server in operation 208 ainclude abc.ipfax.com and def.ipfax.com. These particular forms of IPfax numbers and particular methods for generating IP fax numbers aremerely examples and do not constitute limitations of the presentinvention. More generally, an IP fax number may be any identifier thatenables an IP fax client to be represented, addressed, and qualified asglobally unique.

The IP fax server 102 a may transmit some or all of the user 108'saccount data 106 a to the IP fax client 112 in a response message 122(FIG. 2, operation 210). The IP fax client 112 may receive the accountdata message 122 and store some or all of the data 106 a locally. Inparticular, the IP fax client 112 may store the IP fax number 302 a thatthe IP fax server 102 a has assigned to the conventional fax device 114.

Although not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the system 100 of FIG. 1 mayperform the method 200 of FIG. 2 for each of a plurality of users andthe conventional fax devices and computing devices associated with thoseusers, thereby creating and assigning a plurality of IP fax numbers tosuch fax devices and/or computing devices. As a result, the accountdatabase 104 a may store, for each such account, a mapping between: (1)the IP fax number stored in field 302 a of each account record; and (2)the conventional fax number stored in field 302 b of the same accountrecord. Such mapping data may also be stored locally at each of aplurality of IP fax clients.

Embodiments of the present invention may also be used to transmitmessages to users using an appropriate transmission method. For example,embodiments of the present invention may enable messages to betransmitted to users via a plurality of transmission methods, examplesof which include IP fax, conventional fax, secure document delivery,email, and text message. When the IP fax server 102 a transmits aparticular message to a particular user, the IP fax server 102 a mayselect one or more of the plurality of transmission methods and thentransmit the message to the particular user using the selectedtransmission method(s).

For example, referring to FIG. 4, a flowchart is shown of a method 400for identifying and storing a preferred transmission method associatedwith a particular user. For purposes of example, assume that the method400 is performed in connection with user 108. The method 400 may,however, be performed in connection with any number of users to identifyand store preferred transmission methods for each such user. Thepreferred transmission methods for any two users may be the same as ordiffer from each other.

The IP fax server 102 a identifies one or more preferred transmissionmethods for user 108 (FIG. 4, operation 402). The IP fax server 102 amay identify the preferred transmission method(s) in any of a variety ofways. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the user 108 may provide input124, via the IP fax client 112, specifying the user 108's preferredtransmission method(s). The user 108 may generate such input 124 by, forexample, selecting a description of the user 108's preferredtransmission method(s) from a list of available transmission methods(e.g., by selecting one or more of the following from a list: “IP Fax,“Conventional Fax,” “Secure Document Delivery,” “Email,” and “TextMessage”).

As another example, the IP fax server 102 a may identify the preferredtransmission method(s) of the user 108 automatically in any of a varietyof ways. For example, the IP fax server 102 a may select a defaulttransmission method (e.g., IP fax) as the preferred transmission methodfor the user 108. As another example, the IP fax server 102 a maymonitor a plurality of messages transmitted to and/or by the user 108and identify the transmission method via which each such message istransmitted and/or received. The IP fax server 102 a may identify thepreferred transmission method(s) of the user 108 based on such data,such as by identifying the transmission method having the highestfrequency of use as the user 108's preferred transmission method.

As yet another example, the IP fax server 102 a may identify the user108's preferred transmission method as the transmission method used mostrecently by the user 108 to transmit and/or receive a message. Forexample, each time the user 108 transmits a message, the IP fax server102 a may identify the transmission method via which the message istransmitted, and identify that transmission method as the user 108'spreferred transmission method. Similarly, each time the user 108receives a message, the IP fax server 102 a may identify thetransmission method via which the message is received, and identify thattransmission method as the user 108's preferred transmission method.

Although the description of some of the examples above refer to the user108's preferred transmission “method” in the singular, more generallythe IP fax server 102 a may identify one or more preferred transmissionmethods to associate with the user 108. Therefore, any reference hereinto a preferred transmission “method” should be understood to refer toone or more preferred transmission methods.

The IP fax server 102 a may identify a plurality of preferredtransmission methods associated with the user 108 in any of a variety ofways. For example, the user 108 may manually specify some or all of aplurality of preferred transmission methods in the input 124, such as byselecting a plurality of descriptions of transmission methods via agraphical user interface. As another example, the IP fax server 102 amay monitor a plurality of messages transmitted to and/or by the user108 and identify some or all of the transmission methods via which suchmessages are transmitted and/or received. The IP fax server 102 a mayidentify only transmission methods satisfying some criterion, such astransmission methods that have been used by the user 108 at least somepredetermined number or percentage of times, and/or transmission methodsthat have been used recently by the user 108 (e.g., used by the user 108no longer than some predetermined amount of time earlier than thecurrent time, such as one week, one month, six months, or one year).

The IP fax server 102 a may identify one or more preferred transmissionmethods for each of a plurality of document types. For example, the IPfax server 102 a may identify a first preferred transmission method(e.g., fax) for text documents and a second preferred transmissionmethod (e.g., secure document delivery) for image files. For example,the user 108 may manually specify one or more preferred transmissionmethods for each of a plurality of document types in the input 124.Examples of document types include text (e.g., word processing)documents, spreadsheets, Portable Document Format (PDF) files, imagefiles (e.g., files in JPG, BMP, GIF, or PNG format), audio files, andmultimedia files. The preferred transmission methods for any twodocument types may be the same as or differ from each other.

The IP fax server 102 a may identify the user 108's preferredtransmission method at any time(s), such as during the registrationprocess disclosed above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2, or after sucha registration process has completed. For example, the IP fax server 102a may identify a preferred transmission method for the user 108 duringthe registration process, after which the user 108's preferredtransmission method may be changed, either manually by the user 108 orautomatically by the IP fax server 102 a in any of the ways disclosedherein. As another example, the IP fax server 102 a may not identify anypreferred transmission method for the user 102 a during the registrationprocess, after which the user 108's preferred transmission method may beidentified, either manually by the user 108 or automatically by the IPfax server 102 a in any of the ways disclosed herein. The user 108'spreferred transmission method may be identified, and therefore change,any number of times.

Regardless of how the user 108's preferred transmission method isidentified, once it has been identified, the IP fax server 102 a maystore data representing the user 108's preferred transmission method infield 302 e of user 108's account record 106 a (FIG. 4, operation 404).Since the user 108's preferred transmission method may include one ormore transmission methods, the preferred transmission method field 302 emay include data representing one or more preferred transmission methodsassociated with user 108.

The set of a user's preferred transmission methods may be unordered orordered. If a user's set of preferred transmission methods is ordered,then the ordering may be deterministic (i.e., each preferredtransmission method may have a unique index) or non-deterministic (i.e.,two or more preferred transmission methods may share the same index).The IP fax server 102 a may store (e.g., as part of operation 404) datarepresenting the ordering of a user's preferred transmission methods,such as by storing the index of each preferred transmission method inassociation with that preferred transmission method in field 302 e ofthe user's account record.

If the preferred transmission methods of a user (e.g., user 108) areordered, the IP fax server 102 a may identify that order in any of avariety of ways. For example, the user 108 may provide input (e.g.,within input 124) that specifies the ordering of some or all of the user108's preferred transmission methods, such as by manually arrangingdescriptions of those preferred transmission methods in a particularsequence via a graphical user interface (GUI), or by inputting numbers(e.g., 1, 2, and 3) and assigning each of those numbers to one of theplurality of transmission methods to specify their order of preference.As another example, the IP fax server 102 a may monitor a plurality ofmessages transmitted to and/or by the user 108, identify thetransmission methods used to transmit (send and/or receive) thosemessages, and assign an ordering to those transmission methods thatcorresponds to the relative frequencies of use of the transmissionmethods. For example, the IP fax server 102 a may assign themost-frequently used transmission method an index (order) of 1, the nextmost-frequently used transmission method an index (order) of 2, and soon.

As with any of the other data disclosed herein, data representingpreferred transmission methods may be identified and stored by the IPfax server 102 a in the account database 104 a for one or more of aplurality of users. As a result, the account database 104 a may includedata representing preferred transmission methods associated with each ofthe plurality of users. The preferred transmission methods of any twousers may be the same as or differ from each other.

Some or all of the system 100 of FIG. 1 may be located within a localnetwork, such as a corporate intranet. For example, the IP fax server102 a, the computing device 110, and computing devices (not shown) ofother users who access the IP fax server 102 a may all be addressable atIP addresses within a particular local network. As a result, only theuser 108 and other users having computing devices within the localnetwork of the IP fax server 102 a may communicate with the IP faxserver 102 a and, as a result, only such users may transmit IP faxes tothe user 108 because the IP fax number of the user 108 is onlyaccessible via the IP server 102 a and the account database 104 a thatit maintains. In other words, in such an embodiment, users havingcomputing devices located outside the local network of the IP fax server102 a may be unable to use the IP fax server 102 a to transmit IP faxesto the user 108. More specifically, users of two different databaseinstances (such as database instances 104 a and 104 b in FIG. 5) may beunable to transmit IP faxes to each other using the current state of theart, due to the lack of globally unique and publicly availableidentifiers (e.g., IP fax numbers) for such users.

Embodiments of the present invention may address this problem in avariety of ways to enable any user having a computing device connectedto the public Internet to transmit IP faxes to users such as the user108 who have IP fax numbers maintained by the IP fax server 102 a. Forexample, referring to FIG. 5, a dataflow diagram is shown of a system500 for enabling users connected to the public Internet, but not to thelocal network of the IP fax server 102 a, to use the IP fax server 102 ato transmit IP faxes to the user 108 and to other users of the IP faxserver 102 a (i.e., other users having account records in the accountdatabase 104 a of the IP fax server 102 a). Referring to FIG. 6, aflowchart is shown of a method 600 performed by the system 500 accordingto one embodiment of the present invention.

The system 500 of FIG. 5 includes the IP fax server 102 a and accountdatabase 104 a of FIG. 1. The system 500 may also include any number ofadditional IP fax servers 102 b-m and associated account databases 104b-m. Each such IP fax server and associated account database may operatein any of the ways disclosed herein for the IP fax server 102 a andassociated account database 104 a. In particular, each such IP faxserver and associated account database may operate within its own localnetwork. For example, the IP fax server 102 a and associated accountdatabase 104 a may be addressable within a first local network, IP faxserver 102 b and associated account database 104 b may be addressablewithin a second local network, and IP fax server 102 m and associatedaccount database 104 m may be addressable with an mth local network.

The system 500 may include an aggregate account server 504. In general,the aggregate account server 504 may make account data (e.g., IP faxnumbers) from one or more of the IP fax servers 102 a-m accessible overthe public Internet, so that users connected to the public Internet maytransmit IP fax messages to users of one or more of the IP fax servers102 a-m, even if the transmitting user does not have access to the localnetwork of the receiving user (e.g., even if the transmitting device ofthe transmitting user is not addressable within the same local networkas the receiving device of the receiving user). For example, theaggregate account server 504 may make it possible for a transmittinguser to transmit an IP fax message to a receiving user who is behind afirewall of a local network.

In particular, each of one or more of the IP fax servers 102 a-m maytransmit some or all of its associated account data 502 a-m to aggregateaccount server 504 (FIG. 6, operation 602). The aggregate account server504 may receive such account data (FIG. 6, operation 604). The aggregateaccount server 504 may store the received account data in an aggregateaccount database 506 (FIG. 6, operation 606). For example, FIG. 5illustrates an example in which the entirety of account databases 104 a,104 b, and 104 m have been received and stored by the aggregate accountserver 504 in the aggregate account database 506.

When the aggregate account server 504 receives account data from one ofthe IP fax servers 102 a-m, the aggregate account server 504 mayidentify the IP fax server that transmitted the account data (FIG. 6,operation 608). The aggregate account server 504 may store datarepresenting the identity of the transmitting IP fax server inassociation with the account data received from that IP fax server (FIG.6, operation 610). For example, FIG. 5 illustrates an example in whichthe aggregate account database 506 includes server identification data508 a identifying transmitting IP fax server 102 a, serveridentification data 508 b identifying transmitting IP fax server 102 b,and server identification data 508 m identifying transmitting IP faxserver 102 m.

The aggregate account server 504 need not store copies of data from theaccount databases 104 a-m. Alternatively, for example, when theaggregate account server 504 receives a request to transmit a messagesto a user of one of the IP fax servers 102 a-m, the aggregate accountserver 504, in response to such a request, obtain data from one or moreof the IP fax servers 102 a-m as necessary to direct the message to theappropriate one of the IP fax servers 102 a-m. The aggregate accountserver 504 may, in other words, receive account data or other data fromthe IP fax servers 102 a-m on demand, instead of or in addition tostoring copies of such data in the aggregate account database 506. Forease of illustration and explanation, however, the description belowwill reference the embodiment of FIG. 5, in which copies of the accountdatabases 104 a-m are stored in the aggregate account database 506.

The aggregate account server 504 and/or the aggregate account database506 may be addressable over the public Internet. For example, theaggregate account server 504 may be accessible at a public IP addressthat is published and advertised in association with the aggregateaccount server 504. As a result, users having computing devices that areconnected to the public Internet may use such computing devices tocommunicate with the aggregate account server 504 and/or the aggregateaccount database 506.

In particular, referring to FIG. 7, a dataflow diagram is shown of asystem 700 for using the aggregate account server 504 to enable usershaving computing devices connected to the public Internet to use thosecomputing devices to transmit IP faxes, and other kinds of messages, tousers of one or more of the IP fax servers 102 a-m according to oneembodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 8, a flowchart isshown of a method 800 performed by the system 700 of FIG. 7 according toone embodiment of the present invention.

In the following discussion, the user who transmits a fax is referred toas the “transmitting user” and the user who receives the fax is referredto as the “receiving user.” Referring to FIG. 7, a transmitting user 702transmits, to the aggregate account server 504, a request 704 totransmit an electronic package to a receiving user. Assume for purposesof example that the receiving user is user 108 of FIG. 1. The aggregateaccount server 504 receives the request 704 (FIG. 8, operation 802).

In general, an electronic package may include any electronic data. Forexample, an electronic package may include any one or more of thefollowing:

-   -   one or more files specified by the transmitting user 702, having        any file type or combination of file types (such as word        processing documents, spreadsheets, Adobe Portable Document        Format (PDF) documents, audio files, video files, executable        files, or compressed files (e.g., Zip files));    -   data derived from files specified by the transmitting user 702,        such as compressed versions of files specified by the        transmitting user 702 and/or data resulting from converting        files specified by the transmitting user 702 into a different        data format;    -   data identifying the transmitting user 702 (such as one or more        of an IP fax number, conventional fax number, IP address, or        email address associated with the transmitting user 702);    -   data identifying the receiving user 108 (such as one or more of        an IP fax number, conventional fax number, IP address, or email        address associated with the receiving user 108); and    -   metadata, such as header data, which may include, for example,        data representing the transmission time of the package, the        transmission method of the package, and the data format of the        package.

An electronic package is an example of a “message,” as that term is usedherein. Therefore, the following are all examples of electronicpackages: IP fax messages, conventional fax messages, secure documentdelivery messages, email messages, and text messages. An electronicpackage may include any one or more of the foregoing types of messages.

The transmitting user 702 may generate the request 704 in any of avariety of ways. For example, the transmitting user 702 may generate therequest 704 by:

-   -   scanning a paper document using a scanner that is connected to        the transmitting user 702's computing device, and using that        computing device to generate the request 704;    -   inserting a paper document into a conventional fax machine,        dialing a conventional fax number of the receiving user 108, and        hitting the “Send” button;    -   using an IP fax client installed on the transmitting user 702's        computing device to generate an IP fax transmission request to        transmit a document, such as a word processing document or an        image file, via IP fax to an IP fax number of the receiving user        108;    -   transmitting an email message containing one or more attachments        to a predetermined email address associated with the aggregate        account server 504 and specifying an address (e.g., an email        address) of the receiving user 108, thereby generating a request        for the aggregate account server 504 to transmit an electronic        package containing the attached document(s) to the receiving        user 108; or    -   using a locally-installed or web-based secure document delivery        application to generate a request to transmit a package        containing one or more documents via secure document delivery to        the receiving user 108.

As mentioned above, the aggregate account server 504 may have an IPaddress that is accessible via the public Internet. The transmittinguser 702 may transmit the request 704 to the aggregate account server504 by addressing the aggregate account server 504 at such apublicly-accessible IP address. The transmitting user 702 may obtainsuch an IP address in any of a variety of ways, such as by searching forit via a search engine, or by transmitting the request 704 to theaggregate account server 504 using client software (not shown) that hasthe public IP address of the aggregate account server 504 embedded init.

The request 704 may include any of a variety of data. For example, therequest 704 may include data to include in a fax transmission to thereceiving user 108, such as one or more files containing any combinationof text and images (e.g., black-and-white and/or color images) in anyformat. Alternatively or additionally, the request 704 may include someor all of the data in the account record 106 a of the receiving user108. For example, the request 704 may include the IP fax number 302 a ofthe receiving user 108. The transmitting user 702 may obtain the IP faxnumber 302 a of the receiving user 108 in any of a variety of ways. Forexample, the aggregate account server 504 may publish a list of IP faxnumbers stored in the aggregate account database 506, such as bypublishing such a list on a searchable web site. Such a published listmay include some or all of the data contained in the aggregate accountdatabase 506.

As another example, the transmitting user 702 may transmit a request(not shown) to the aggregate account server 504 for the receiving user108's IP fax number, such as by transmitting the receiving user 108'sconventional fax number, email address, real name, or any combinationthereof, to the aggregate account server 504. In response to receivingsuch a request, the aggregate account server 504 may use the informationprovided by the transmitting user 702 as a query to search the aggregateaccount database 506 and thereby obtain the receiving user 108's IP faxnumber as a result of the search. The aggregate account server 504 maythen transmit the IP fax number of the receiving user 108 to thetransmitting user 702, who may then include the IP fax number of thereceiving user 108 in the request 704 and in any subsequent requests totransmit faxes to the receiving user 108.

The aggregate account server 504 identifies the receiving user 108 basedon the request 704 received from the transmitting user 702 (FIG. 8,operation 804). The aggregate account server 504 may identify thereceiving user 108 in any of a variety of ways. For example, if therequest 704 includes the IP fax number of the receiving user 108, theaggregate account server 504 may identify the receiving user 108directly based on the IP fax number. As another example, if the request704 includes other data associated with the receiving user 108, such asthe receiving user 108's conventional fax number, email address, realname, or any combination thereof, the aggregate account server 504 mayuse such information as a query to search the aggregate account database506 and thereby obtain the receiving user 108's IP fax number as aresult of the search.

The aggregate account server 504 may identify one or more transmissionmethods to use to transmit the transmitting user 702's fax to thereceiving user 108 (FIG. 8, operation 806). Note that operation 806 isoptional. If operation 806 is omitted, for example, the aggregateaccount server 504 may transmit the transmitting user 702's fax to thereceiving user 108 using a predetermined transmission method, such as IPfax.

The aggregate account server 504 may identify the transmission method(s)to use to transmit the transmitting user 702's fax to the receiving user108 in any of a variety of ways. For example, the aggregate accountserver 504 may identify the receiving user 108's account record in theaggregate account database 506 and identify the transmission method(s)to use based on data in that account record. For example, if thereceiving user 108's account record specifies a single preferredtransmission method, then the aggregate account server 504 may identifythat single preferred transmission method as the transmission method touse to transmit the transmitting user 702's fax to the receiving user108. As another example, if the receiving user 108's account recordspecifies a plurality of ordered preferred transmission methods, thenthe aggregate account server 504 may select the first (i.e.,highest-order) preferred transmission method.

As another example, the aggregate account server 504 may identify atransmission method via which the receiving user 108 currently isavailable to receive the fax from the transmitting user 702 as thetransmission method to use to transmit the transmitting user 702's faxto the receiving user 108. For example, the aggregate account server 504may determine whether the receiving user 108 is associated with acomputing device (e.g., computing device 110) on which an IP fax client(e.g., IP fax client 112) is installed. If the receiving user isassociated with such a computing device, then the aggregate accountserver 504 may determine whether the receiving user 108's IP fax clientis online. The aggregate account server 504 may select “IP fax” as thetransmission method for transmitting the transmitting user 702's fax tothe receiving user 108 only if the receiving user 108 is associated witha computing device on which an IP fax client is installed and if that IPfax client is online. As another example, the aggregate account server504 may determine whether the receiving user 108 is associated with aconventional fax device (e.g., conventional fax device 114) that isonline and connected to a PSTN network, and select “conventional fax” asthe transmission method for transmitting the transmitting user 702's faxto the receiving user 108 only if the receiving user 108 is determinedto be associated with a conventional fax device that is determined to beonline and connected to a PSTN network.

As yet another example, the aggregate account server 504 may identify atransmission method based on the type of document in the documentelectronic package 706. As mentioned above, the receiving user 108'saccount record 106 a may contain data 302 e representing a preferredtransmission method for each of a plurality of document types.Therefore, the aggregate account server 504 may identify a type ofdocument specified by the electronic package transmission request 704and identify, based on the preferred transmission method data 302 e andthe identified type of document, the receiving user 108's preferredtransmission method(s) for the identified type of document.

As yet another example, the request 704 received from the transmittinguser 702 may specify one or more transmission methods to use to transmitthe document package to the receiving user. The aggregate account server504 may identify the transmission method(s) in operation 806 as thetransmission method(s) specified by the transmitting user 702 in therequest 704. Note, however, that the request 704 need not specify anytransmission method to use to transmit the document package to thereceiving user. In fact, one benefit of certain embodiments of thepresent invention is that they do not require the transmitting user 702to specify which transmission method(s) to use to transmit the packageto the receiving user 108, but instead may identify such transmissionmethod(s) without input from the transmitting user 702.

The aggregate account server 504 transmits or attempts to transmit thetransmitting user 702's electronic package 706 to the receiving user 108via the identified transmission method(s) (FIG. 8, operation 808). Theaggregate account server 504 may extract any data from the request 704and/or generate data from the request 704 to generate the electronicpackage 706 that is transmitted to the receiving user 108. For example,the request 704 may include a message portion, in which case theaggregate account server 504 may extract the message portion from therequest 704 and include the extracted message portion in the electronicpackage 706. The aggregate account server 504 may perform anyappropriate processing on data extracted from the request 704 togenerate data in the electronic package 706. For example, data from therequest 704 may be formatted according to the protocol (e.g., IP fax,conventional fax, secure document delivery, email, or text message) thatis used to transmit the electronic package 706.

If the aggregate account server 504 identified a plurality oftransmission methods in operation 806, then the aggregate account server504 may transmit multiple instances of the electronic package 706contemporaneously using the plurality of identified transmissionmethods. For example, if the aggregate account server 504 identified afirst preferred transmission method (e.g., IP fax) and a secondpreferred transmission method (e.g., email), then the aggregate accountserver 504 may transmit a first instance of the electronic package 706to the receiving user 108 via the first preferred transmission method(e.g., IP fax), and transmit a second instance of the electronic package706 to the receiving user 108 via the second preferred transmissionmethod (e.g., email). The aggregate account server 504 may modify theinstances of the electronic package 706 as necessary to conform to theirrespective transmission methods. As a result, the plurality of instancesof the electronic package 706 may differ from each other in theirformat.

As described above, the aggregate account server 504 may identify theaccount record, in the aggregate account database 506, that isassociated with the receiving user 108. The aggregate account server 504may use such an account record in the process of transmitting theelectronic package 706 to the receiving user 108. In particular, theaggregate account server 504 may identify, within the receiving user108's account record, an address of the receiving user 108 that isassociated with the transmission method that the aggregate accountserver 504 uses to transmit the electronic package 706 to the receivinguser 108. For example:

-   -   if the transmission method selected by the aggregate account        server 504 is IP fax, then the aggregate account server 504 may        identify the IP fax number 302 a of the receiving user 108 and        use the identified IP fax number 302 a to transmit the        electronic package 706 to the receiving user 108 via an IP fax        protocol;    -   if the transmission method selected by the aggregate account        server 504 is conventional fax, then the aggregate account        server 504 may identify the conventional fax number 302 b of the        receiving user 108 and use the identified conventional fax        number 302 b to transmit the electronic package 706 to the        receiving user 108 via a conventional fax protocol;    -   if the transmission method selected by the aggregate account        server 504 is email, then the aggregate account server 504 may        identify the email address of the receiving user 108 in the user        data 302 d and use the identified email address to transmit the        electronic package 706 to the receiving user 108 via an email        protocol; and    -   if the transmission method selected by the aggregate account        server 504 is secure document delivery, then the aggregate        account server 504 may identify the secure document delivery        address of the receiving user 108 in the user data 302 d and use        the identified secure document delivery address to transmit the        electronic package 706 to the receiving user 108 via a secure        document delivery protocol.

The receiving user 108 may receive the electronic package 706 in any ofa variety of ways. For example:

-   -   if the electronic package 706 is transmitted to the receiving        user 108 via IP fax, then the receiving user 108's IP fax client        112 may receive the incoming electronic package 706 as an IP fax        on behalf of the receiving user 108;    -   if the electronic package 706 is transmitted to the receiving        user 108 via conventional fax, then the receiving user 108's        conventional fax device 114 may receive the incoming electronic        package 706 as a conventional fax on behalf of the receiving        user 108;    -   if the electronic package 706 is transmitted to the receiving        user 108 via email, then an email client (not shown) on the        receiving user 108's computing device 110 may receive the        incoming electronic package 706 as an email message on behalf of        the receiving user 108; and    -   if the electronic package 706 is transmitted to the receiving        user 108 via secure document delivery, then a secure document        delivery client (not shown) on the receiving user 108's        computing device 110 may receive the incoming electronic package        706 as a secure document delivery package on behalf of the        receiving user 108.

The aggregate account server 504 determines whether transmission of theelectronic package 706 succeeded, i.e., whether the electronic package706 reached the user 108 (e.g., the user 108's computing device 110)(FIG. 8, operation 810). The aggregate account server 504 may determinewhether transmission of the electronic package 706 succeeded in any of avariety of ways. In general, the aggregate account server 504 may useany means associated with the transmission method (e.g., protocol) thatwas used to transmit the electronic package 706 to determine whethertransmission of the electronic package 706 succeeded. For example, ifthe electronic package 706 is transmitted via conventional fax, theaggregate account server 504 may use conventional means to determinewhether all pages of the fax transmitted successfully without errors. Asanother example, if the electronic package 706 is transmitted via email,the aggregate account server 504 may use conventional means to determinewhether the email message containing the electronic package 706 bouncedback to the sender.

If transmission of the electronic package 706 succeeded, then method 800terminates. If transmission of the electronic package 706 did notsucceed, then the aggregate account server 504 may identify an alternatetransmission method 812, i.e., a transmission method other than thetransmission method previously identified in operation 806 and used totransmit the electronic package 706 in operation 808. The aggregateaccount server 504 may then attempt to transmit the electronic package706 using the newly-selected transmission method (FIG. 8, operation808). The aggregate account server 504 may continue such attempts, andselect new transmission methods, until the electronic package 706succeeds.

The aggregate account server 504 may identify the alternate transmissionmethod in operation 812 in any of a variety of ways. For example, if thereceiving user 108's preferred transmission method 302 e specifies aplurality of transmission methods, and a first one of the plurality oftransmission methods was identified in operation 806 and used totransmit the electronic package 706 in operation 808, then the aggregateaccount server 504 may select a second one of the plurality oftransmission methods in operation 812. As a particular example, if thereceiving user 108's preferred transmission method 302 e specifies aplurality of ordered transmission methods, and the highest-ordertransmission method was identified in operation 806 and used to transmitthe electronic package 706 in operation 808, then the aggregate accountserver 504 may select the second highest-order transmission method inoperation 812. In this way, the aggregate account server may select thereceiving user 108's preferred transmission methods in descending orderuntil one of the receiving user 108's preferred transmission methodssucceeds.

Embodiments of the present invention have a variety of advantages, suchas the following. One advantage of embodiments of the present inventionis that they enable anyone having access to a computing device that isconnected to the public Internet to transmit high-quality faxes (such ashigh-definition color faxes using Biscom's HD-IP Fax technology) toother users, even if such other users receive such faxes using faxclients that are behind a firewall in a private network, such as acorporate LAN. By using a publicly-accessible server in conjunction witha public registry of IP fax numbers, embodiments of the presentinvention increase the reach of IP fax to extend to the entire publicInternet.

One benefit of enabling any user to transmit IP faxes to other users isthat IP faxes can be transmitted at much higher speeds than conventionalfaxes, because IP faxes can be transmitted over any IP network medium,not merely over PSTN telephone lines. In particular, either thetransmitting user 702's request 704, the resulting electronic package706, or both may be transmitted via IP. Even if only the request 704, oronly the electronic package 706, is transmitted via IP, a gain in speedis obtained in comparison to the alternative of transmitting the entiretransmission via conventional fax. In cases in which both the request704 and the electronic package 706 are transmitted via IP, the entiretransmission (consisting of both the request 704 and the electronicpackage 706) may be transmitted via IP, thereby enabling the entiretransmission to benefit from the increased speed of IP transmission.

Another benefit of embodiments of the present invention is that theyenable gains in speed to be obtained even if both the transmitting user702 and the receiving user 108 do not have access to IP fax transmissionmechanisms. For example:

-   -   if the transmitting user 702 only has access to conventional fax        transmission mechanisms but the receiving user 108 has access to        IP fax transmission mechanisms, the user 702 may transmit the        request 704 via conventional fax, while the aggregate account        server 504 may transmit the electronic package 706 to the user        108 via IP fax, thereby obtaining a gain in speed compared to a        transmission performed entirely via conventional fax; and    -   if the transmitting user 702 has access to IP fax transmission        mechanisms but the receiving user 108 only has access to        conventional fax transmission mechanisms, the user 702 may        transmit the request 704 via IP fax, while the aggregate account        server 504 may transmit the electronic package 706 to the user        108 via conventional fax, thereby obtaining a gain in speed        compared to a transmission performed entirely via conventional        fax.

More generally, embodiments of the present invention provide increasedflexibility in combining the transmission mechanisms that are availableto the transmitting user 702 and the receiving user 108 to achieve atransmission from the transmitting user 702 to the receiving user 108.The aggregate account server 504 may receive the request 704 from thetransmitting user 702 via any transmission method (e.g., conventionalfax, IP fax, secure document delivery, email, text message) and transmitthe electronic package 706 to the receiving user 108 via anytransmission method (e.g., conventional fax, IP fax, secure documentdelivery, email, text message) in any combination, whereby thetransmission method that is used to receive the request 704 may be thesame as or differ from the transmission method that is used to transmitthe electronic package 706.

Another advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that, byenabling the use of IP fax, including Biscom's HD-IPFax, they enablefaxes to be transmitted in color and at higher resolutions thanconventional faxes. For example, Biscom's HD-IPFax has no theoreticalmaximum resolution and may, for example, be used to transmit IP faxes atresolutions of 300 dots per inch (dpi), 600 dpi, 1200 dpi, 2400 dpi, andhigher. As a result, embodiments of the present invention may enablefaxes to be transmitted over the public Internet in ways that are usefulfor transmitting medical images and other documents that require colorand/or high resolution. In practice, users may select a resolution thatprovides an acceptable tradeoff between image quality and transmissionspeed.

Yet another advantage of embodiments of the present invention is thatthey enable different transmission methods to be used to transmitdocuments to users. For example, embodiments of the present inventionenable a preferred transmission method to be associated with a user(such as a transmission method specified manually by the user), and fordocuments to be transmitted to the user using the user's preferredtransmission method. This feature of embodiments of the presentinvention enable users to receive documents using transmission methodsthat are most useful and/or convenient to them.

A related advantage of embodiments of the present invention is that theymay be used to attempt to transmit documents to users using alternativetransmission methods in the event that the initial attemptedtransmission method fails. Such techniques combine the benefits ofenabling users to receive documents using their preferred transmissionmethods with the flexibility to use alternative transmission methods inthe event that the preferred (or most-preferred) transmission methodsfail.

Yet another benefit of embodiments of the present invention is that theytake advantage of the general benefits of fax communication. One suchbenefit is that fax transmissions are easy and quick to initiate, merelyrequiring the transmitting user to insert a document into a fax machine,enter a destination address (e.g., conventional fax number), and hit asend button, thereby obviating the need to run software on a computer oreven have access to a computer. Another benefit of fax transmissions isthat faxes are received and printed immediately and automatically at thereceiving end, thereby obviating the need for the receiving user tocheck an inbox or manually print incoming faxes. Embodiments of thepresent invention enable both transmitting users and receiving users toretain these benefits of conventional faxes, while supplementing thosebenefits with the advantages disclosed herein.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been describedabove in terms of particular embodiments, the foregoing embodiments areprovided as illustrative only, and do not limit or define the scope ofthe invention. Various other embodiments, including but not limited tothe following, are also within the scope of the claims. For example,elements and components described herein may be further divided intoadditional components or joined together to form fewer components forperforming the same functions.

Any of the functions disclosed herein may be implemented using means forperforming those functions. Such means include, but are not limited to,any of the components disclosed herein, such as the computer-relatedcomponents described below.

The term “IP fax” includes any transmission method (e.g., protocol) thatmay be used to transmit faxes using Internet Protocol (IP), in whole orin part. For example, the term “IP fax” as used herein encompassestransmission methods which are capable of transmitting faxes withoutusing any conventional fax protocol at any point in the transmission.For example, the term “IP fax” as used herein encompasses transmissionmethods which are capable of transmitting faxes solely using IP fromend-to-end, i.e., at all points from the transmitting user to thereceiving user, such as Biscom's HD-IP Fax protocol. In other words, theterm “IP fax,” as used herein, includes, but is not limited to, Biscom'sHD-IP fax. The term “IP fax” as used herein, for example, also includestransmission methods which include a combination of conventional faxprotocols and IP to transmit a fax, such as Fax over IP (FOIP). Forexample, the term “IP fax” as used herein encompasses the transmissionof a fax which involves the use of IP to transmit the fax from thetransmitting user 702's computing device to the aggregate account server504, and the use of a conventional fax protocol to transmit the fax fromthe aggregate account server 504 to the receiving user 108's computingdevice. The term “IP fax” as used herein also encompasses thetransmission of a fax which solely involves the use of IP to transmitthe fax from the transmitting user 702's computing device to theaggregate account server 504 and to transmit the fax from the aggregateaccount server 504 to the receiving user 108's computing device.

Certain techniques are disclosed herein in connection with useraccounts. For example, in certain embodiments disclosed herein, a useraccount record may specify an ordered set of transmission methods, indescending order of preference by the user. As another example, incertain embodiments disclosed herein, a user account record may specifya distinct preferred transmission method for each of a plurality ofdocument types. Any such techniques may, additionally or alternatively,be applied to multiple user accounts, e.g., on a system-wide basis toall user accounts. For example, the aggregate account server 504 maystore data representing an ordered set of transmission methods, andapply that ordered set of transmission methods to some or all receivingusers. Such an ordered set may be configurable by an administrator ofthe aggregate account server 504, but not by other users.

Certain functions disclosed herein as being performed by the aggregateaccount server 504 may additionally or alternatively be performed by oneor more of the IP fax servers 102 a-m. For example, any one or more ofthe IP fax servers 102 a-m may perform the method 800 of FIG. 8 totransmit an electronic package according to any of a plurality oftransmission methods. Therefore, more generally the IP fax servers 102a-m may be electronic package servers which include means fortransmitting not only IP faxes but also for transmitting electronicpackages using other transmission methods, such as conventional fax,secure document delivery, email, and text message. The IP fax servers102 a-m may perform such functions only within their own local networks,or across the public Internet.

Furthermore, the functions described herein as being performed by theaggregate account server 504 may be divided in any of a variety of waysbetween the aggregate account server 504 and one or more of the IP faxservers 102 a-m. For example, the aggregate account server 504 andaggregate account database 506 may be addressable over the publicInternet and act as a global address registry. For example, theaggregate account database 506 may include mappings between IP faxnumbers and conventional fax numbers. When a user of one of the IP faxservers 102 a-m transmits the electronic package transmission request704 to that IP fax server, the IP fax server may query the aggregateaccount server 504 for information about the destination (e.g.,receiving user 108) of the request 704, such as by providing theaggregate account database 506 with information in the request 704 thatidentifies the receiving user 108 of the request (such as the receivinguser 108's conventional fax number), in response to which the aggregateaccount server 504 may provide the IP fax server with information aboutthe receiving user 108 that is mapped to the request information in theaggregate account database 506, such as the receiving user 108's IP faxnumber. The IP fax server may then use the information received from theaggregate account server 504 to transmit the electronic package 706 tothe receiving user 108. In such an embodiment, the aggregate accountserver 504 acts as an address registry that is available to theplurality of IP servers 102 a-m over the public Internet, while the IPservers 102 a-m perform the function of transmitting electronic packagesfrom one user to another.

The techniques described above may be implemented, for example, inhardware, one or more computer programs tangibly stored on one or morecomputer-readable media, firmware, or any combination thereof. Thetechniques described above may be implemented in one or more computerprograms executing on (or executable by) a programmable computerincluding any combination of any number of the following: a processor, astorage medium readable and/or writable by the processor (including, forexample, volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage elements), aninput device, and an output device. Program code may be applied to inputentered using the input device to perform the functions described and togenerate output using the output device.

Each computer program within the scope of the claims below may beimplemented in any programming language, such as assembly language,machine language, a high-level procedural programming language, or anobject-oriented programming language. The programming language may, forexample, be a compiled or interpreted programming language.

Each such computer program may be implemented in a computer programproduct tangibly embodied in a machine-readable storage device forexecution by a computer processor. Method steps of the invention may beperformed by one or more computer processors executing a programtangibly embodied on a computer-readable medium to perform functions ofthe invention by operating on input and generating output. Suitableprocessors include, by way of example, both general and special purposemicroprocessors. Generally, the processor receives (reads) instructionsand data from a memory (such as a read-only memory and/or a randomaccess memory) and writes (stores) instructions and data to the memory.Storage devices suitable for tangibly embodying computer programinstructions and data include, for example, all forms of non-volatilememory, such as semiconductor memory devices, including EPROM, EEPROM,and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks andremovable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROMs. Any of theforegoing may be supplemented by, or incorporated in, specially-designedASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) or FPGAs(Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). A computer can generally also receive(read) programs and data from, and write (store) programs and data to, anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium such as an internal disk(not shown) or a removable disk. These elements will also be found in aconventional desktop or workstation computer as well as other computerssuitable for executing computer programs implementing the methodsdescribed herein, which may be used in conjunction with any digitalprint engine or marking engine, display monitor, or other raster outputdevice capable of producing color or gray scale pixels on paper, film,display screen, or other output medium.

Any data disclosed herein may be implemented, for example, in one ormore data structures tangibly stored on a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium. Embodiments of the invention may store suchdata in such data structure(s) and read such data from such datastructure(s).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method performed by at least one computerprocessor, the method comprising: (A) receiving a request to transmit anelectronic package from a device of a transmitting user to a device of areceiving user, wherein the request is addressed to an addressaccessible on a public network; (B) identifying an Internet Protocol(IP) fax number of the receiving user based on data in the request; and(C) transmitting the electronic package to the device of the receivinguser via an IP fax protocol at the identified IP fax number.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein (B) comprises: (B)(1) identifying aconventional fax number of the receiving user in the request; (B)(2)identifying a mapping of the conventional fax number of the receivinguser to the IP fax number of the receiving user; and (B)(3) identifyingthe IP fax number of the receiving user based on the mapping.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: (D) before (B): (D)(1) generatingthe mapping; and (D)(2) storing data representing the mapping; andwherein (B)(2) comprising identifying the mapping based on the datarepresenting the mapping.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein (C)comprises transmitting the electronic package to the device of thereceiving user at an IP address that is behind a firewall of a localnetwork to which the device of the receiving user is connected.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein (C) comprises: (C)(1) identifying datarepresenting a preferred transmission method associated with thereceiving user; and (C)(2) determining that the data representing thepreferred transmission method associated with the receiving userspecifies an IP fax transmission method.
 6. The method of claim 1,further comprising: (D) determining that the transmission of theelectronic package to the device of the receiving user failed; (E) inresponse to the determination in (D): (E)(1) selecting an alternatetransmission method, wherein the alternate transmission method is one ofconventional fax, secure document delivery, email, and text message; and(E)(2) transmitting the electronic package to the device of thereceiving user via the alternate transmission method.
 7. The method ofclaim 1, wherein (C) comprises: (C)(1) attempting to transmit theelectronic package to the device of the receiving user via atransmission method other than IP fax, wherein the transmission methodother than IP fax is one of conventional fax, secure document delivery,email, and text message; (C)(2) determining that the attempt to transmitthe electronic package to the device of the receiving user failed; and(C)(3) in response to the determination in (C)(2), transmitting theelectronic package to the device of the receiving user via the IP faxprotocol at the identified IP fax number.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein (C) further comprises transmitting the electronic package to thedevice of the receiving user via a protocol other than the IP faxprotocol, wherein the protocol other than the IP fax protocol is one ofa conventional fax protocol, a secure document delivery protocol, anemail protocol, and a text message protocol.
 9. A system comprising atleast one non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computerprogram instructions, wherein the computer program instructions areexecutable by at least one computer processor to perform a method, themethod comprising: (A) receiving a request to transmit an electronicpackage from a device of a transmitting user to a device of a receivinguser, wherein the request is addressed to an address accessible on apublic network; (B) identifying an Internet Protocol (IP) fax number ofthe receiving user based on data in the request; and (C) transmittingthe electronic package to the device of the receiving user via an IP faxprotocol at the identified IP fax number.
 10. The method of claim 9,wherein (B) comprises: (B)(1) identifying a conventional fax number ofthe receiving user in the request; (B)(2) identifying a mapping of theconventional fax number of the receiving user to the IP fax number ofthe receiving user; and (B)(3) identifying the IP fax number of thereceiving user based on the mapping.
 11. The system of claim 10, furthercomprising: (D) before (B): (D)(1) generating the mapping; and (D)(2)storing data representing the mapping; and wherein (B)(2) comprisingidentifying the mapping based on the data representing the mapping. 12.The system of claim 9, wherein (C) comprises transmitting the electronicpackage to the device of the receiving user at an IP address that isbehind a firewall of a local network to which the device of thereceiving user is connected.
 13. The system of claim 1, wherein (C)comprises: (C)(1) identifying data representing a preferred transmissionmethod associated with the receiving user; and (C)(2) determining thatthe data representing the preferred transmission method associated withthe receiving user specifies an IP fax transmission method.
 14. Thesystem of claim 9, further comprising: (D) determining that thetransmission of the electronic package to the device of the receivinguser failed; (E) in response to the determination in (D): (E)(1)selecting an alternate transmission method, wherein the alternatetransmission method is one of conventional fax, secure documentdelivery, email, and text message; and (E)(2) transmitting theelectronic package to the device of the receiving user via the alternatetransmission method.
 15. The system of claim 9, wherein (C) comprises:(C)(1) attempting to transmit the electronic package to the device ofthe receiving user via a transmission method other than IP fax, whereinthe transmission method other than IP fax is one of conventional fax,secure document delivery, email, and text message; (C)(2) determiningthat the attempt to transmit the electronic package to the device of thereceiving user failed; and (C)(3) in response to the determination in(C)(2), transmitting the electronic package to the device of thereceiving user via the IP fax protocol at the identified IP fax number.16. The system of claim 9, wherein (C) further comprises transmittingthe electronic package to the device of the receiving user via aprotocol other than the IP fax protocol, wherein the protocol other thanthe IP fax protocol is one of a conventional fax protocol, a securedocument delivery protocol, an email protocol, and a text messageprotocol.